Sorry, I'm a Bad Boy
by pinkpocket23
Summary: She crept her way inside without him knowing. His heart wasn't safe for an innocent airhead like her. But everything starts out ugly before it gets beautiful. "I tried to warn you that I'm no good… But you wouldn't listen." For jAyesque.#7
1. Red Eyes and PolkaDots

**Disclaimer:** All rights belong to the respected author, Higuchi Tachibana. The story is mine.

I take no credit for any of the quotes used. All quotes used belong to their respected films.

**Author's Note:** I'm very honored to have you here.^^

**Dedicated to:** The amazing, Julie a. k. a. **jAyesque.** This one's for you, pretty girl! ;)

* * *

**Let it Be Beautiful**

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"He's so… He's so rich."

**-Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice, 2005)**

**.**

* * *

_Red Eyes and Polka-Dots…_

* * *

Deep, dusk-like clouds accumulated together like a herd of sheep as the sound of thunder erupted into a silent dissonance. A mystical coat of lavender and a dark grey colored over a dim-lit sky.

_Whoosh!_

Rushing with the blowing wind, a metallic-red Ferrari sped rapidly along the sleek roads of the street.

A dejected sigh escaped the driver's lips as his brows knitted together in distaste. His dark, ruby-red orbs blazed with a hint of frustration at the sight of water splashing up against his windshield.

Having his prized sports car become showered with the dripping rain did not sit well with Natsume Hyuuga at all… especially when he had just paid for a good deal on a supreme car wash.

He kept one hand lax securely to the steering wheel, using the other to run a hand through his raven tresses. His jaw tensed a little as his eyes flickered up in annoyance to the grey sky hovering from above.

Damn the stupid weather channel… Whatever happened to a sunny day being welcomed with a crystal-clear blue sky?

He snorted at the thought. To hell with the stupid weather man and his lousy, counterfeit predictions. He would never waste his time by sitting through another boring broadcast of channel news again.

The few light droplets of cold rain continued to pelt against the glass of his windshield. Natsume sighed again as he turned a sharp curve at the corner of another street. He looked up once more to catch a small glimpse of the melancholy sky and snorted in disgust.

He _hated_ the rain, hated how it suited him all too well with his messed up life. It reminded him too much of himself, how obscure and jaded he was.

Shaking away the few depressing thoughts clouding his mind, Natsume used his other free hand to glimpse a quick look at his red Blackberry. He arched a brow once realizing that he had over fifteen new messages. Scrolling through the list of names next to the familiar numbers, he noticed that most of them were from countless women that he had seen over the past two weeks.

He paused for a small moment on the remaining messages left behind from a certain number with no name. A breath of air stuck in his throat as he frowned at the screen.

It was from 'that' person, again…

Yet even despite having messages to answer he didn't bother to check them, labeling them as non-important. After all, he hated communicating with those who didn't matter.

With one quick press of his thumb, he deleted the contents from his phone. Giving a small click of his tongue, he set it aside and redirected his attention to the road ahead of him.

He continued his routine for speeding until suddenly, something interesting caught his attention. Out from the corner of his eye, he witnessed of what appeared to be a brunette waving to him, a mini hilted skirt blowing in the wind, and a pair of slender legs as he passed her by.

The sight of a mini-skirt and legs were enough to do the trick.

Natsume didn't waste a second as he used his foot to lightly press on the brakes, accelerated his tires just right, and made a sharp U-turn like some pro NASCAR driver. He halted his car into a screeching stop, careful so as not to splash water about as he came to park just beside the curb.

The dark tinted windows of the car lowered down as a young man with disheveled raven hair and crimson eyes looked out from the driver's side.

Natsume grinned. "Need a lift?"

The woman responded with a bright smile and nodded. She picked up her bag from off the ground and opened the door to the passenger's side before sliding her way into the car.

"Thanks for the ride," she gratified while slamming the car door shut.

Natsume curtly nodded, "Don't worry about it."

Interested by the sudden stranger, he beguiled himself for a few seconds as he watched the brunette situate herself into a seatbelt. Another small grin thinned at his lips. She was cute.

His eyes travelled from a pair of honey-brown orbs, to the sight of soft lips outlined ever so perfectly by the glossy color of caramel-mocha, and came to rest just a little below the woman's collarbone. Honestly, he had to admit that he'd seen bigger busts than what she had, but she wasn't half bad looking. It was then that he took notice of a pink polka-dotted bra seen clearly visible through her wet, transparent top.

Natsume arched a skeptic brow, scoffing a little under his breath in amusement at the oddball who appeared to be quite content with what she had on. Such a childlike pattern… Polka-dots definitely weren't his cup of tea when it came to women wearing lingerie. Then again, it didn't really matter to him in the end. Aside from knowing how to pleasure a woman, he never really bothered with her ideal of fashion sense, anyway.

Shrugging off the thought, he clicked his tongue and asked, "Where to?"

The brunette tucked a few of her wet auburn strands behind her ear and smiled. "Berry Street, please and thank you."

Natsume simply nodded at the familiar street name. After giving one last look of distaste at a polka-dotted bra, he revved up his engine, and shifted the car back into drive as his tires skidded along the road.

At least fifteen minutes had gone by as the two strangers sat in silence.

The little drive was quiet, nothing but the droning sound coming from the drumming engine of the car. Still, that didn't stop Natsume from observing his new guest.

Every now and then, he would use his peripheral vision to spare a quick glance at the brunette who was busy humming a small tune to herself while smiling out at the window. It made him curious as to why the hell she was so damn happy, like she had butterflies fluttering around her very own rainbow.

Yet despite being slightly turned off by the woman's happy-go-lucky smile, he couldn't deny the lustful thoughts creeping into the back of his mind as he studied her figure.

Her hair came in the childish style of pigtails but Natsume couldn't help but think that she looked hot with the way her damp bangs stuck like glue to her cheeks. She wore a mini-skirt that was hiked a little too high over her creamy thighs, allowing his mind to catalyze plenty of sinful ideas. Even the unappealing, polka-dotted bra was beginning to make him have second thoughts with the way the wet material hugged against the woman's chest.

Oblivious to the fact that she was being watched, the easygoing brunette continued her insouciant routine tune of humming while straightening out her wet, chestnut bangs. She used a hand to sweep one of her braided pigtails to the side of her shoulder as the scent of tangerines whipped throughout the air.

Natsume felt his body nearly stiffen on edge once the sweet taste hit his tongue like the sting of a bee. Though quite faint, the enticing aroma was pretty damn tempting.

He inwardly cursed to himself. What the hell were his hormones going out of whack for? As many women as he had dated in his lifetime, he should be used to any type of feminine scent; and hell, it wasn't like he was a virgin, anyway.

He grunted, brushing the thought away and decided to turn on the audio system to his digital soundtrack player.

After changing song after song for what felt like two minutes, he sighed in content, finally settling for one that suited to his taste. The quiescent sound of a guitar being played in the background echoed softly, until the loud banging of drums came about.

After hearing a familiar melody, the brunette stopped humming and turned to look at the driver in surprise. Her brows furrowed together in thought before she gave a snap of her fingers.

"Breaking Benjamin?" she asked with a smile.

Natsume flickered his eyes over to her direction for a brief second and then back to the road as he replied nonchalant, "Breath." He gave a small shrug of the shoulders, still keeping both eyes straight ahead. "The song fits my mood."

The brunette nodded. "Awesome choice," she whistled admirably. "The song is pretty cool, and the band is really good, too."

Sighing at the comment like it was an obvious fact, Natsume monotonously stated, "I know."

Bright hazel orbs turned to study the driver who appeared to be in his own distant bubble away from interaction. The isolated aura was manifest enough to show that he hated talking.

Chewing on the insides of her cheek in speculation, the brunette concluded that he was probably the quiet type who never bothered with light conversation.

She curled her fingers around the edge of her seat, unconsciously licking her lips as she scanned over his boyish features.

_He's really hot…_

His silk-like raven hair was utterly disarrayed and spilt over his face like some model from out of a catalog. He wore a pair of crisp, dark jeans, a black fashion-branded collar shirt that hugged the neatly built abdominals of his chest, and the well-constructed muscles of his arms were outlined perfectly.

She almost wanted to sigh in admiration at the beautiful sight, but pushed aside any hopeful thinking.

Though attractive and insanely gorgeous, hot guys like him only meant trouble. Presumably, he was the type that always had women hanging off of his arms, and judging by the expensive car that he was driving, it was pretty obvious that he had money.

Her admirable gaze slowly took in the beautiful picture before her, and then suddenly, transcended into an awe of wonder.

She gasped, suddenly taking in a pair of enchantingly, captivating red eyes. Even while looking at the handsome stranger from the side, the radiant color from his dark orbs seemed to sparkle like rubies.

"You have red eyes…" The sudden comment came out more like a shocking statement rather than a question.

Still focusing on the road, Natsume turned his head slightly to look at the brunette. "Surprised?" his monochromatic voice asked dully.

Once realizing that she had been caught in a trance, the woman laughed nervously. "Well, I've never seen anyone with red eyes before," she noted. "But that's really cool. Your eyes are a very pretty shade of red. They make you look beautiful."

Natsume shifted uncomfortably in his seat at that last sentence.

Beautiful? This was definitely a first, being called such a thing when the word went against everything that his honorary pride as a man stood for. Since when the hell is a man ever called beautiful?

_This woman is weird,_ he thought while glimpsing a small catch of her goofy grin as he pretended to focus on driving.

"So, what other bands do you like?"

At the change of topic, Natsume looked off to the side of the road and exhaled, "Does it matter?"

The brunette shrugged with a smile, "Well, yeah, I wanna know."

Favorite band, favorite band… Musing for a good while, Natsume's fingers drummed over the smooth leather of his steering wheel. "Probably… Nirvana," he replied disenchanted while quickly adding, "though I'm sure I can think of another one. But I like them the best."

Smiling at that answer, the woman stopped to think about her own. "My favorite band would probably have to be…" She bit her lip and then gasped as if suddenly remembering her answer. "It's between Linkin Park and Good Charlotte. But I'll say Linkin Park just because I love Chester _so_ much."

Natsume practically scoffed at the given response. Saying that you were a fan of Linkin Park was like saying that you were a fan of Lady Gaga ─ it was too stereotyped, too original.

"I have this dream about marrying him someday," the woman declared in adoration. She sighed. "It's been on my top list of goals for years."

Now, Natsume really had to let out a laugh at this.

He snorted at the nonsensical idea. "You do know he's already married, right?"

The brunette blinked twice at the question. Fiddling with one of her pigtails in nervousness, she stuttered unsuccessfully, "Y-yeah, well… Maybe they'll have like a divorce or… I don't know, maybe something will happen where he'll meet me, fall for me at first sight, and then realize that I'm the real girl to capture his heart. Who knows?"

"Right," Natsume mockingly jeered. "You and your," he gestured his head towards the woman's chest, "polka-dotted bra there will be the one thing that captures his heart."

"Hey!" the brunette exclaimed. Doing her best to cover up her chest with her hands, she pouted her cheeks. "Keep your eyes on the road."

The handsome raven haired man rolled his eyes at her naiveté. _She talks way too much, _he thought inwardly to himself.

Ready for the next subject of choice, the brunette snapped her fingers and said, "Okay, next question. What kind of happy memories do you have?"

"Happy memories?"

"Yeah, name some. What are your favorite memories that you are most fond of?"

Memories… Old flashbacks of a daunting past ghosted through the back of Natsume's mind. He had a lot of those bitter reminisces that he could mouth off faster than the alphabet.

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it with second thoughts. "Those don't exist," he replied dryly. "I don't have any."

The brunette prodded, "Oh, come on you've got have at least one. I've got tons."

Natsume sighed. "Little girl, if you know what's good for you, then you'd stop pestering me with meaningless questions. I don't have any happy memories, nor do I have any that I happen to be fond of. I'm the type that likes to keep to myself, and prefer that it stays that way─" his red eyes shifted over to the sight of creamy thighs and slender legs, "unless it involves the opposite sex."

Arching a curious brow, the brunette blinked twice, and after following the pervert's gaze, gasped as she pulled down the ruffles of her skirt to hide her legs.

A voice laughed huskily in amusement and she felt her cheeks go hot. Hoping to hide her blush, she looked away while studying the interior about the car, and ran a finger over the smooth, luxury material of leather.

She folded both arms behind her head and whistled lightly. "You must have a lot of money if you can afford an expensive car like this. It's really beautiful."

Natsume's brows rose then settled. "Money is usually the first thing that women seem to notice when it comes to guys. I'm used to hearing compliments like that." He shrugged simply after noticing the woman's frown of distaste. "Don't take it personal."

"Well for one," she started, "I wasn't giving you a compliment. If anything, I was complimenting the car not you. And secondly…" She wrinkled her nose at the man's self-conceited aura. "What you just said about how money is the first thing that women pay attention to. That's pretty shallow don't you think? I didn't find it too appealing."

Natsume gave a click of his tongue before sarcastically pointing out, "You mean like your polka-dotted bra?"

Feeling the heat creeping up to her cheeks again, the brunette reached over to sock a playful punch to the pervert's arm. "Guys like you… You just like flaunting around your good looks and money. You're so… so _rich_."

The last word of her sentence was lathered in evident disgust. Natsume's lips tugged into a mocking grin. For whatever reason, he found it strangely amusing by making the woman become so flustered.

"So, you admit that I've got good looks," he pointed out as if it were undeniable fact.

The young woman scoffed. "Okay," she started while counting off from her fingers, "so the main three facts that I know about you is that Nirvana is your all-time favorite band, you have this majorly brazen ego, and that you're an undeniable pervert who has a thing against polka-dots."

Well, when the girl put it so bluntly like that… Natsume didn't know how to really deny those facts. His chest rumbled with laughter as he spared one more smirk at a polka-dotted bra before looking back ahead to the road.

A quiet stillness engulfed the car as the two sat in silence, one still grinning on the sly with a frown and pouted cheeks being sent his way. They continued to pass street by street as the light droplets of rain pelted down.

After a few more passing minutes, the woman widened her eyes at the next upcoming block and exclaimed, "Oh! You can stop right here, please."

At the sudden demand, Natsume used his foot to ease up on the brakes.

He gradually slowed his car into a screeching stop and parked just beside a curb. The brunette scanned about the area while looking out through the window, muttering a small, "Alright," under her breath as she reached for her bag.

Natsume watched her inquisitively as she opened the door and stepped out of the car. "You're okay with being so far back?" he asked like she was crazy. "We're not even near a house."

"Oh, no, it's cool. My friend's house is just a few blocks up."

That simple answer sounded too farfetched to Natsume's ears.

"…You're going to walk in the rain?"

"Well, the rain has let up a little more, so it's not that bad." The brunette sighed, holding up a hand to test the precipitation. "Besides, I'm the type who likes taking long walks. It gives you time to think to yourself and relax a little when you have a lot on your mind."

Then next, she lifted her head to look up at the lavender-grey sky and a serenely, placid smile played upon her lips. Natsume watched her with a guarded expression, trying to calculate every odd trait about the flamboyantly, quaint woman who only seemed to intrigue him.

The brunette turned back to look at him. "Thanks again for the ride." She folded both arms behind her back and bit her lip. "By the way… what's your name?"

Propping an elbow upon the edge of his steering wheel, the raven haired young man watched the strange girl with utmost curiosity. "Natsume Hyuuga," he drawled plainly.

The woman smiled then, letting the name settle in her head as if it were some fairylike chant. After giving a respectful bow, she took in one last sight of ruby-red orbs, and pulled her bag over her shoulder before turning to walk off.

"Wait," Natsume suddenly called out to her. The word evaded his lips before he had the chance to realize what he had just said. Once the woman stopped to turn and look at him, his gaze shifted away immediately. "…Name."

The brunette blinked back aloof. "Eh? What did you─?"

"What's your name?" Natsume sighed, turning to look at the airhead fully.

Surprised by the sudden interest, the woman beamed a bright smile. "My name is Mikan," she answered in less than a second. "Mikan Sakura."

Natsume nodded at the name. "Well, Mikan Sakura," his voice rasped, sending a small shiver down the woman's spine. He ignited his engine while slowly inching his car away from the curb. "I won't be seeing you around."

The brunette felt her heart nearly stop beating at the sight of a seductive smirk.

Gasping through parted lips and her cheeks now red, she opened her mouth to speak, but didn't have the chance.

Before she could get a word in, the dark tinted windows had already risen up, and the sexy driver accelerated his car as he sped along down the street into a far off distance.

She stood still for a good moment, her heart now pounding like a resonating drum, and with her legs turned to mush like Jell-O. The sound of a husky voice and the imprinted image of red eyes played throughout her mind like the constant press of a replay button.

"Natsume Hyuuga…"

**.**

This was originally supposed to have been a written one-shot, but my fingers thought otherwise.

I know that reading about a typical 'bad boy' Natsume with a big ego is probably common, but I always love putting my own spin on his hotness when it comes to writing. So, all in all, I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter. ;D

Thanks so much for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated if you have the time.^^

**~pinkpocket23**


	2. There's Something About Her Smile

**Disclaimer: **No way Jose.

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"I loathed myself for feeling like I did. I mean, this is crazy. She's a girl…"

**-Gabe (Little Manhattan, 2005)**

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* * *

_There's something about the way she smiled…_

* * *

One long week and four days may have come and gone in what felt like the passing of seasons, yet the color of auburn hair and honey-brown eyes was inscribed permanently into the mind.

Natsume realized this fact as he found his thoughts tracing back to the peculiar woman he had met a few days ago.

Wearing nothing but a pair of dark jeans that hung loosely from his well-sculptured torso, he stood casually inside of his luxury suite, staring out at the city of Tokyo through a crystal-clear glass window.

He pocketed one hand into his jeans with his elbow propped against the wall as he took a small swig from his cigarette.

Brown eyes and hair… The scent of tangerines…

A small smirk thinned at Natsume's lips as he released an exhale of smoke.

If he didn't know any better, he'd swore that he was whipped, allowing such descriptive thoughts over a certain brunette to fog up his head like he was on cloud nine.

Such impracticable thinking didn't sit well with him; or rather it flat out wasn't natural for him to have minor 'flashbacks' over a woman. This never happened unless his pleasurable escapade with the opposite sex turned out to be something worth reminiscing.

Yet here he was, thoughts recollecting back to a brunette who had an eccentric taste for wearing polka-dots, and whose warm smile faintly haunted his mind.

Something… Why did he feel like there was something about the way that she smiled when he watched her go?

Natsume closed his eyes with a sigh as he made his way over to his bedside table, and was surprised to find two new messages left in his voicemail.

Reluctantly, he took another swig from his cigarette, thumbed the answer button, and leaned against the side of the wall for the awaiting messages.

_**Beep!**_

"You have two new messages. First message, sent today, at 2:45pm…"

"_Hey, Natsume, it's me. So, um… remember how I was telling you that I finally met someone that I like? No wait, scratch that… I think I might be in love with her, man. Anyway, I was thinking that you and I could hang out tonight so you can finally meet her. She works at this really cool pub that has great food and sells really good beer. I bet you're grinning right now about the 'good beer' part. So, call me when you get this message, okay? Oh! And dude… Give 'that' person a call or something when you're not busy. Alright_? _He's been asking me about you, and I think you should talk to him sometime. Okay later, man."_

_**Beep!**_

"Second message sent today, at 3:15pm…"

A moment of silence commenced before a burly voice spoke.

"_Natsume, hi, it's me. Well, I'm pretty sure that you already know who it is… Still, I hope that you're doing pretty well on your own, but you're at the age of twenty-one, so maybe I really don't have anything to worry about. The media has been awaiting your answer about you taking over the Hyuuga firms. You'll consent to my request, correct? And did you get the money that I deposited into your account? I also sent you another grand just last week. I hope you received it okay. Let me know if you need anything. I'll always be here to help."_

There was a slight pause of silence. Then next, the sound of a congested cough came about.

"_Natsume… Son… We haven't always been able to see eye to eye on things, and I know that I've made mistakes in the past. I know that you probably don't want to see me, but... I really want to see you. This long distance thing has been going on for far too long. I… Do you think that we could─?"_

_**Click!**_

Natsume ended the message without a moment's haste.

Taking in another long, breathless swig of tobacco, he closed his eyes with his brows knitted fervently together. He put out his cigarette in an ashtray, erased the said message from his voicemail, and snorted under his breath in disgust.

He was getting pretty damn tired of having to repeat the same process week after week.

It was the same routine each time. His father would blow up his phone for days, deposit money into his bank account and after a while, would call again and leave behind annoying voicemail. He couldn't go a day without having his father spamming up his inbox with stupid messages.

But more than anything, he couldn't stand the sound of his old man's voice. It always sent shivers down his spine, putting him on edge. Then ghosting memories would start to flood throughout his mind, taunting him, reminding him of his bitter past experiences that would forever haunt him.

Natsume sighed and sprawled out lazily amongst the sheets of his king-sized bed. He stared back at the alabaster ceiling from above as his gaze faded in and out in a trance.

He curled and released his fists for a couple of times as he exhaled slowly.

After calming his restless nerves into a sedative state, his eyes gradually closed, frustration eating at him on the inside.

"Money won't make up for anything, old man…"

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed aloud through the hall as Natsume made his brisk strides thoroughly down the corridor.

He wore a pair of earplugs attached from his iPod, whistling along to the rock metal beat while swinging the ring of his car keys around his finger.

After turning a small left down another hall, he came to a good stop just in front of door B-25. He plopped out the plugs from his ears and gave a few hard knocks against the mahogany wood.

Noises of what sounded like clothes rustling in the background could be heard from behind the door.

"Just a sec!" a voice called out.

Natsume clicked his tongue and asked, "Ruka is the door unlocked like usual?"

No answer.

When his friend didn't respond, he tested his hand upon the knob, smirked wryly, and busted through the door like some authoritative cop.

The loud, impacting sound from the door was hard enough to practically shake the walls of the room as a handsome blonde snapped his head up in alert.

Natsume narrowed his eyes in skepticism at the sight of his best friend who appeared to be… struggling to get out of his attired sleepwear. He was dressed in a pair of blue boxers with a colorful pattern of pink, printed rabbits and a shirt to match.

Startled by the sudden entrance, Ruka's blue eyes widened with him nearly tripping face forward to the floor. "H-hey! Natsume, what the hell?"

Natsume's eyes rolled with a sardonic laugh. "I knew it," he mocked. "You were wearing those stupid pajamas, again."

Then next, Ruka's cheeks went a beet red with his neck going hot. "S-shut up," was his stuttered response. He whipped off the pajama shirt from his head and growled out a sigh while throwing it to the floor. "It's not my fault that my mom keeps sending me weird things from France every second that she gets."

"But you can help it by _not_ wearing them…"

After casually pointing out that obvious fact, Natsume laughed at the expense of an icy glare being sent his way, and found a comfortable spot upon the living room couch.

Ruka wanted to scold him for just barging into his own apartment.

"Okay, Mr. Casanova," he grumbled, balling up his pajama shirt as he hurled a poorly thrown shot at his friend's head. "Let's talk about you. How many women have you had shagged up in your big, luxurious suite these past few days? Oh, and by the way, mom asked about how you were doing, and if your health was okay. She also said that you really need to cut back on the cigarettes. You're still young, you know."

Giving an indifferent shrug of his shoulders, Natsume reached out for the remote, propped both of his legs upon the edge of the coffee table, and turned on the TV.

"I've had more than I count," he droned boringly while flipping through a list of channels. "The mice come and go once I'm satisfied. And to answer your second question…" He grinned. "Tell her thanks, but I'm only authorized to light them, not put them out."

Ruka shook his head. "You've always been danger prone, so it makes sense."

With his chest still bare, he made a quick run to his bedroom before coming back wearing a pair of washed jeans with a large, branded tee in one hand. He sighed in satisfaction after finally tugging the cotton material over his head and then tussled at his blonde bangs.

Seeing as how his friend had decided to make himself 'at home' in his living room, he snorted with a roll of his eyes, and came to stand just in front of the Toshiba flat screen to block the much needed view.

He tapped his foot at the floor, clearing his throat as he casually demanded for the remote.

Rather than consenting to the expectant request, Natsume simply adjusted his lax position so that his back was lying prone to the couch. "So, what's with the new girlfriend that you were talking about, Ruka?" he asked, purposely changing the subject.

Falling for the bait, Ruka's brows rose then settled. "Oh, yeah, that's right..." His cerulean blue eyes lit up. "I can't wait for you to meet her, Natsume. She's… amazing, you know? She has this really distant attitude about her, but her eyes are incredible. They kind of remind me of Elizabeth Taylor."

"_The_ Liz Taylor?"

"Yeah, and she's incredibly smart. I think that she went to some really good honors school, too." Ruka chuckled humorlessly to himself as he found a spot just upon the ledge of the couch. "I'm surprised that you two haven't met, considering that your cold hearted personalities are on par with one another. And she has the face of a Barbie doll, too."

His raven haired best friend gave a long musing, "Hm?" while lightly tapping the remote against his shoulder.

"You make it sound like she's my type."

"…Dude─"

"I'm joking," Natsume quickly added and socked a brotherly punch to Ruka's arm. "Anyway, what kind of restaurant does she work at again? You said the place has good beer, so I'm curious."

Ruka nodded, "The pub is called Midnight Paradise, granted that it's a restaurant that stays open way past midnight." He shrugged. "It's kind of like Hooters."

Arching a highly amused brow at the rather intriguing comparison, Natsume pursed his lips in thought.

_Not bad at all…_

"Hooters, huh?" he asked half-interested.

Nodding again, Ruka reached out to snatch the remote from his friend's hand and laughed at a cold given glare. "Yeah, it's worth checking out. And knowing you, Natsume, you'll like the view of seeing hot girls dressed in skimpy outfits walking around. It's kind of like an all-night club. They have a dance floor, bar, and pretty much everything that you can think of."

Folding both arms laxly behind his head, Natsume gave a small, "Hn," and covered his face with a pillow.

Ruka laughed again. Then next, his lips slowly softened into a wistful smile. "By the way, Natsume… Did you call _him_ yet? I'm sure he really wants to see you."

"Who cares what my old man wants," Natsume jeered as he sat upright to look at the blonde in annoyance. "Because of him, my life is turning into the exact opposite of what I wanted to be. Do you know how many bombarding e-mails that I get from nosey ass reporters about how I'll be taking over my father's firm?"

"Are you?"

"What do you think?"

"…No."

"But that's not what they want to hear," Natsume scoffed in disdain. He sunk back into the cushions of the couch, brows knitting together as he folded both arms behind his head. "No. Those guys want the full story of what the young Hyuuga heir has to offer in the business world. Some of them even want me to do a scheduled interview over how I'll be representing my old man. What stupid, meaningless crap of bull." He drummed a finger over his thigh, frowning in thought. "If only they knew the true colors of the man that they adore…"

"Well... what about your father? You should still─"

Natsume swiftly cut in, "Ruka, don't ask me that, again." His fists clenched tight. "You know I can't stand that bastard…"

Ruka didn't dare try to provide his input any further. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay, so, let's go back to our original topic," he said in a cheerful tone with a pat on his knee. "You'll go with me to meet my new girlfriend, right?"

Pretending to muse over the question, Natsume raised both brows. "Let me think… Spend my boring Friday on a couch in front of the TV? Or great food, good beer, and women catering to my every need?"

Ruka watched in amusement as his best friend arose from off the couch and whipped out a cigarette like a natural James Dean.

After lighting his cig, Natsume exhaled a breath of smoke and grinned.

"I think I'll go with the latter."

**.**

The sound of cold beer bottles clattering together echoed from the many different tables as people offered up a clank of cheers.

Strobe lights flickered all over the area along with the pounding club hit music. Waitresses dressed in appealing, skimp-like attire trotted around in high heels while carrying trays of hot meals.

Taking a good look of what the restaurant had to offer, two young men sat secluded together at the bar. For a Friday night that didn't involve them sitting in front of the TV with a large bowl of popcorn, things were really starting to hit off great.

"This place isn't half bad," Natsume admitted halfheartedly.

Ruka grinned and gave his friend a hard pat on the shoulder. "I told you, didn't I?"

"Well, Nogi, I didn't take you to be the drinking type..."

At the sudden monotone voice, both heads snapped to the direction of a young woman standing behind the bar.

She had flawlessly, smooth skin that made her look like a porcelain doll. Her coal-black hair stopped short just above her neck, and even in the dimly lit room, her amethyst, violet eyes had this lovely piercing glow.

Ruka held his breath as he studied the woman's bodacious figure sponsored by her seductively attired uniform. "Hotaru," he breathed out after finally swallowing slowly. "Wow, you look… You look great."

The woman responded with an arched brow. "Aren't you a little too innocent to be ordering a cold one from the bar, bunny boy?" she asked, and a small smile painted across her lips after seeing how the blonde's ears turned a quaint red. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Hey, come on. I told you stop calling me that," Ruka grumbled lowly. His failed attempt at trying to be curt made his girlfriend's grin widen. He cleared his throat and gestured towards his raven haired friend. "Anyway there's someone that I want you to meet. This is my best friend, Natsume Hyuuga. And Natsume, this is my girlfriend, Hotaru."

"Natsume Hyuuga?" the woman repeated apathetically. She spared a small glance at the topic of subject and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "You mean the same spoiled rotten brat of a famous CEO from high school, Natsume Hyuuga?"

Snorting at the sight of an old familiar face, the raven haired young man nonchalantly replied, "Hotaru Imai… I didn't know that a weirdo like you was still in the area of Tokyo."

"Still alive and kicking," she noted.

Confused, Ruka looked back and forth between the two. "Wait a minute, hold on… You two already know each other?"

Hotaru situated both hands on either side of her hips and reluctantly nodded. "You can say that. We both went to Alice Academy and graduated at the top of our class. But I can see that Hyuuga is the same pompous, arrogant, little _snot_ like always.

"Hell, Ruka," Natsume jeered. He pointed a thumb ever so rudely at the hostess, "You didn't tell me that you had the Ice Queen for a girlfriend. Don't you cherish your life?"

"While I appreciate the old given nickname, Hyuuga," Hotaru's dry tone spat out the last name. "I have a job to do, and sadly, it requires me catering to an obnoxious idiot like you." She sighed while pulling out a checkbook and pen. "So, what will it be, boys?"

Propping an elbow upon the edge of the counter, Natsume gave a click of his tongue. "Give me the best cold one you've got," he said, rubbing his temples in exhaustion. "I want the _best_."

"I'm already on it!" a cheery voice suddenly called aloud.

Natsume's ears practically perked up like a dog at the sound of that one familiar voice.

Eyes scouring about the area, his head turned to the attention of a brunette appearing from behind the door of the bar with a bottle of beer in hand.

At the sudden appearance, he felt his chest tighten with his body going rigid.

He couldn't breathe. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Either he was hallucinating, or he was actually staring back at the very same woman that he had encountered just last week.

The brunette skipped her way merrily to the bar. After setting down the beer upon the counter, she slid it over to her customer while saying, "Here you are, sir! A fresh cold one for you especially presented by…"

Then suddenly, her words ceased. Her honey-brown orbs widened in awe.

Unable to function properly, she lost her cool as she went shy on the spot by cowering behind Hotaru's back.

She gasped with lips stuttering in surprise, and pointed at the handsome raven haired guest, "Y-you…!"

Natsume blinked back with a blank expression. "Mikan Sakura…"

The name escaped his lips before he even had the chance to think about what he had just said. Once realizing his fatal mistake, he mentally cursed to himself.

Damn it all. He actually remembered her name… Recollecting a woman's name, let alone one who he hasn't seen in more than a week, had never been something of importance. Yet as if by magic, he spoke the words right on the spot after one casual glimpse of her face.

Then suddenly, he felt his throat go drier than a desert. The little brunette's sensual outfit became the topic of his eyes.

Unlike the conservative getup that she was wearing upon their first encounter, this time she appeared to be… a little more daring. She wore a pink V-neck, tube top that looked a lot more like a bra. Her frilly, pink skirt to match was hilted high above her creamy thighs. Her long brown hair which was no longer braided in pigtails cascaded like a waterfall upon her shoulders with curls ending at the strands.

All in all… the girl was pretty damn tempting.

Taking notice of the silent given stares and the awkward aura between the two, both Ruka and Hotaru stared at their friends with quirking brows. It wasn't your everyday thing to have a moment where thought to have been complete strangers actually recognized each other.

Ruka grinned, giving Natsume a playful punch to his arm in which he irresolutely shrugged.

Hotaru looked over her shoulder at the brunette who was still hiding behind her back. "Do you two know each other or something, Mikan?" she asked.

Timid as ever, Mikan meekly nodded and tapped at her friend's shoulder. "Hotaru," she whispered into her ear, "this is him…!"

"Him?" Hotaru repeated, turning to look back at her fellow graduate. "Oh, hell… You mean that this─" she pointed rudely at Natsume, "guy is the same one that you've been going on about? The same one who gave you a ride that you said looks like a model out of a catalog?"

Once that very last sentence slipped from out of her friend's mouth, Mikan gave a nudge to her arm and started blushing redder than a cherry tomato. Natsume didn't miss the heat creeping up to the brunette's cheeks as he grinned wryly.

The subtle hints were enough to let Hotaru know that something was going on between the two.

Her eyes rolled as she begrudgingly muttered, "Just great," under her breath, slightly bothered that her best friend just so happened to be acquaintances (if she could call it that) with a juvenile playboy.

She sighed. "Mikan, you can take this one off my hands. I'm heading on over to table six for orders." Her purple eyes hardened as she shot a glare of warning to the raven haired pervert who was still studying the brunette on the sly. "Look, Hyuuga, I know what type of guy you are, considering that we graduated from the same school together. Make sure that you behave around this airhead. She's too dense. You better consent to HFO: hands feet and other objects to yourself. Got that?"

Natsume snorted. "Relax, Imai," he drawled lazily, tracing a finger around the rim of his beer bottle. "I don't make a habit of taking innocent 'angels.' It's not my thing."

His fellow graduate all but laughed as she scoffed in disgust and made her exit from behind the bar. Just before she took off, she turned to spare a quick glance at the brunette.

Hotaru's violet irises stirred with worry as if she was unsure whether or not leaving her sweet, yet dim-witted best friend alone to converse with trouble was such a good idea.

Sensing his girlfriend's weary dubitation, Ruka came to take her gently by the arm. "Well, I guess we'll just… leave you two kids alone," he announced in an assuring voice. He made sure to send Natsume a subtle glance, hinting him to act accordingly and led Hotaru away by the wrist.

Both familiar strangers were left alone in a dead silence.

Rocking back and forth on the soles of her heels, Mikan bit her lip, prompting on words to come. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.

Natsume on the other hand appeared to be quite pleased, lax, and very much amused at the rather awkwardly given situation.

Staring back at the timid brunette, he cupped the side of his cheek within the palm of his hand. "Model out of a catalog, huh?" he teased, smirking at the end of his sentence.

Mikan presented a chest cough. "O-oh that? Don't worry about it. She was just joking, y-yeah..." Hoping to clear away her jittery nerves, she gave a shake of her hands and put on a bright smile. "By the way, Natsume Hyuuga," she cooed teasingly, placing both hands on her hips. "I'm surprised that you actually remembered my name. Did I leave a good impression or something?"

Natsume blinked twice, shifted his eyes away for a small fracture of a second, and looked back with a bland expression. "Don't read too much into it," his monotone voice derided. "A polka-dotted bra is enough to leave any kind of impression."

The brunette pouted her cheeks. "For your information, I'm not wearing polka-dots, today. And plus, I happen to like wearing that bra." She folded her arms crossly, "So, there."

She swung her hair over her shoulder as the nostalgic scent of tangerines flooded throughout the air. The sweet fragrance danced underneath Natsume's nose with his body going tense.

His hands curled and released as he swallowed slowly. "I didn't picture you to be the type who works at a place like this," he said almost bored.

Mikan laughed as she bent over on both elbows, aloof to the fact she was giving a front row view of her chest. "Well, I'm more of the girl next door type. This is just a side job provided with the help of my best friend, Hotaru. Plus, my boss also happens to be an old senpai of mine back from high school. And hey, if I can get a job that pays good money without having to go through an interview, then it's worth keeping, right?"

_This girl is too trusting,_ Natsume thought.

Grinning at the sight of a visible bust, he shrugged, "You tell me."

"Well, I'm saving up money so I can go to college, too," Mikan added, laughing nervously while rubbing the back of her head. "But I'm willing to work hard for my goals. Did I mention that it's my aspiring dream to become a doctor one day? I want to become one of the best female doctors throughout all of Japan."

"That's pretty contradictive of you, don't you think?" Natsume sarcastically pointed out, folding both arms neatly over the counter. "You claim to be a 'good' girl and have ambitious goals to reach for, but yet you're dressed in," he gestured his head at the woman's outfit, "a sinful two-piece with your bare navel showing."

"It's not like I'm doing it for free," Mikan protested. "Besides, the pay is really good here, and I haven't had any problems with the many customers that are always stopping by. I actually have a great time being able to meet new faces. It always becomes the highlight of my late nights."

Natsume snickered at the blithesome rejoinder.

The jubilance about the woman's voice was really starting to get annoying…

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Twenty-one," the raven haired young man answered plainly.

Mikan gasped in excitement. "Oh yeah? Wow, that's not too far from me. I'll be twenty-one in like two years."

The happy-go-lucky smile almost made Natsume want to cringe.

Judging by the animated aura surrounding the little girl, he assumed that she was the naive, go-getter type whose head was filled with nothing but dreams and hopeful ambitions. He snorted at the thought as he took a nice, long swig from his beer. He always held a certain prejudice against such will-inspired people like her…

"You talk too much," he stated in a low, dry tone.

"What's wrong with that? Do you not like talking?"

Natsume's eyes lazily looked up to the sight of brown orbs. He responded with a small shrug of his shoulders and resumed to sipping his drink.

Mikan frowned at the cocky jerk. "Judging by the way you interact with me, I bet that getting girls is a problem. You have this… cold, dark, _'don't mess with me,'_ aura that's like some barrier to block people out." She pursed her lips together as if speculating him. "You know, since you've got such an expensive car and probably a lot of money, you should have a lot to smile about."

Seriously, what was wrong with this quirky girl?

"There are two things wrong with your foolish proclamations, little girl," Natsume pointed out with a sigh, finally deciding to put down his beer bottle. "Firstly, I'm not the type to smile, and I don't have a lot to smile about. For someone like you who only thinks of rainbows and sugary coated words, I believe that you would fail to accept this fact about me. And secondly…" He used his thumb and forefinger to lock the brunette's chin in place as a boyish grin thinned at his lips. "Getting girls is never a problem. Rather they are the ones who are always running to me with open arms and I gladly accept their invitation as long as it involves a bed."

Unfazed by the pro's evident charms, Mikan cocked her head to the side like a lost puppy. "You don't smile? Why is that?"

Natsume could feel a vein coming on as he held back a curse of breath. This little…

"I'm not the smiling type," he retorted dryly, giving up the seducing act. "Isn't it obvious?"

"But everyone should want to smile." Patience was fleeting fast from Natsume as the oddball continued speaking. "If you're alive, then that's something to smile about. If you have friends who are always there for you when you need them, then that's something to smile about. If you have someone who loves you, then you have a lot to smile about." Mikan folded both hands neatly behind her back. "As for me, I just want to be an impact in someone's life and be the one to make them smile, instead. My ideals for─"

"To hell with your 'ideals,'" was Natsume's snort of indifference. "It's really sickening me to have to sit here and listen to you yack on about trivial things. I don't even feel like finishing my beer, now." Refusing to sit by any longer, he whipped out a 10,000 yen bill from his wallet and placed it upon the counter. "Here. Keep the change."

Though the conversation ended rather rudely on Mikan's part, she found the annoyance from the handsome customer to be slightly entertaining. She watched with a smile as he casually arose from his seat.

"Hey, Natsume, hold on a sec."

Natsume didn't know why, but the sound of his name stemming from that innocently, cordial voice was enough to make him stop on the spot. He turned his head unwillingly to look at the brunette.

"The last time we met," Mikan started, drumming her fingers over the counter, "you said that you wouldn't be seeing me around anymore." Her hazel eyes then became hopeful. "Will I… still see you around? Will you come back?"

Natsume raised a derisive brow. "You shouldn't try to get too close, little girl. I'm not healthy for an airhead like you."

Then to his surprise, the naïve little brunette responded with a genuine, angelic smile. "Too late."

A faint gasp escaped from Natsume's parted lips.

This woman… Either she was putting up a fake front for being gullible or she was insanely… Hell, she was weird.

With his expression heavily guarded, he remained still for another three seconds before finally deciding to take his leave. He snorted under his breath.

That woman was a fool in his eyes. She was an annoying dreamer who talked way too much... but that didn't stop the resonating drum from his now beating heart.

A small, boyish grin tugged at his lips.

Something… There was definitely something about the way she smiled.

**.**

Ahhh, I think I went overboard with another lengthy chapter. *laughs*

But that's okay. I had fun writing this chap –coughs– even despite the lame crap from a horrible day of school. Oh, summer… how I miss you. Still, I hope that you enjoyed the second chapter.^^

Thank you so very much for reading! Enjoy your upcoming weekend! :D

**~pinkpocket23**


	3. He's So Cold, but So Hot

**Disclaimer: **Nope.

**.**

"…Every time I see you, you seem to go out of your way

to make me feel like a complete idiot."

**-Bridget Jones. (Bridget Jones's Diary, 2001)**

**.**

* * *

_**He's so cold, but so hot…**_

* * *

"Natsume Hyuuga! Natsume Hyuuga, look this way!"

"Natsume, please look over here!"

The clamorous voices stemming from the excessive amount of reporters filled the entire lobby. Cameras flickered simultaneously as the media tried to crowd around the young Hyuuga heir.

"Natsume Hyuuga! Answer my question first, please!"

Seated just at the center of a table, the young heir kept a lukewarm expression as he stared back at the annoying pests who continued to call out his name.

His lack of animated energy made it evident enough that he wasn't thrilled about being in the spotlight for an interview.

Back slouched, one hand cupping the side of his cheek, and fingers tapping at the base of the table, he continued the repetitive chewing of his tongue to refrain from cursing.

Of all the time to be wasted upon a sweet Sunday afternoon, he just had to be present for a scheduled interview. Hell, it was already bad enough that he had to wear a damn tux. Boy, he could sure use a good cigarette right now…

A rather plumpish elder who appeared to be in his early sixties was situated just to the right of the young heir.

Known for being a loyal advocate to Natsume's father, and a top CEO in Hyuuga Corps, Mr. Yamato looked quite dapper as he waved excitedly to all of the flickering cameras.

He chuckled lightly and patted Natsume's shoulder. "Alright, alright, let's finish this the easy way. We'll have the boy only answer to a few more questions from one more reporter, and then call it a day."

Mr. Yamato turned to the young heir with a questioning brow as if asking for his consent.

Natsume responded with a shrug of his shoulders as he decided to sit upright in his seat. His eyes scoured over the sea of reporters in front of him, taking his sweet time as every hand popped up into the air in request.

A young woman with brown hair and pink highlights bombarded her way to the very front for attention. "Natsume Hyuuga, over here!" she exclaimed, jumping up on the tips of her toes.

Taken in by the cute reporter, Natsume snapped his fingers towards her, and blandly demanded, "Shoot."

"Thank you, sir," the woman gratified. She tilted her glasses before speaking into her microphone. "Natsume, I understand that as the only succeeding heir in the Hyuuga family, it is important that you act accordingly to further increase the growing popular status of Hyuuga Corps. When and how do you plan on taking over your father's company? What exactly will be your approach?"

Natsume arched a mocking brow with a click of his tongue, and asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, sir," the woman meekly nodded.

Natsume grinned. "Then I'll tell you."

He leaned forward, placed both elbows upon the table with his chin on top of his knuckles as his brows furrowed into a hatred scowl.

"To answer every single one of you sniveling _pests_ who keep crawling around my private life for facts, I'll say this clean and clear. I have no desire whatsoever to take over my father's business. My life is my own that does not revolve around me dressing up in a business suit, seated around rich ugly pigs at a table who only want to use my skills and intellect for their own selfish reasons. I don't want any of it. You all─"

"N-next question, please," Mr. Yamato interjected quickly. He laughed nervously and presented a chest cough. "Let's move forward, shall we?"

"R-right," the reporter stuttered while blushing. It was rather hard not to be turned on by such a charming, overconfident man who had no problem speaking his mind. "Well, Natsume, we all understand that your father has been in a sickly condition these past few months. In fact, it's been quite a while since he's been in the hospital. What are your thoughts on this, exactly? Do you still deny your father's wish even when he lies sick in bed till this day?"

Natsume's jaw somewhat tensed at the question. "Do you know what you're saying?" he asked her. "Well, do you?"

The woman flinched. "I-I… I just wanted to know─"

Natsume didn't even let her finish. "Do you truly believe that just because my old man is lying sick in a bed that I would have enough sympathy to actually take over for him as his son? Do you really think that a rat like him would even be grateful towards me filling in for him, when all he wants is someone to continue his work and nothing else?" His dark, red orbs grew mirthlessly cold. "Do all rodents like you truly think that you have the right to go asking people stupid questions so freely when you don't even know a damn thing about them?"

Unable to fumble up an answer to such a curt-given declamation, the woman held her tongue.

Silence engulfed the lobby as everyone could only stare back at the young Hyuuga heir in bemusement, shock, and with a perplexed sense of admiration.

Natsume released an exasperated sigh and swiftly arose from his seat. "I'm sick of wasting my damn time sitting here. This interview is done." With that said, he made his own self-proclaiming exit as he turned his back to leave.

The crowd of reporters responded with a dead quietness and murmuring whispers.

Yet even after being given the cold shoulder, they couldn't help but be in awe. A roar of claps gradually erupted from the large multitude.

Nervous by the awkward given situation, Mr. Yamato acted accordingly as he waved back at the cameras. "W-well, I want to t-thank you all for taking the time to come out and treating the young heir as an honored guest," he said with an apologetic smile. "Please look forward to a new start for the Hyuuga Corps. Have a great day!"

**.**

_Damn this stupid day…_

Mentally cursing to himself, the young Hyuuga heir stormed his way through the halls towards the bathroom.

There was so much hatred and a scalding ball of rage building up inside his body that he was ready to _kill _anything that dared to cross his path.

"Natsume!"

He didn't even bother to turn to the attentive calling of his name.

Rapid footsteps could be heard along with the vociferous calls coming from Mr. Yamato.

Sweat exuded from the blubbery skin of his pores as he made it his mission to match pace with the adamant young heir. He demanded for Natsume to come to a halt immediately.

When the rotten brat refused to comply, he tugged forcefully at his shoulder. "Natsume, what the hell were you thinking back there, huh?" his voice was earnest. "Y-you can't just go off spewing out selfish things on your own in front of the media. Can you _imagine_ what your father will think once he sees that interview?"

Now, at this Natsume had to scoff. "Was what I said truly selfish? Do you even know the meaning of that word?" He studied his elder in mockery as if looking upon a farce. "Considering that you only desire a percentage of my father's well-earnings from his business, I would think that you, Yamato-san, would know what it means to be selfish. After all, that is why you've remained loyal to the Hyuuga Corps these past six years. Am I correct?"

Mr. Yamato flinched in shock. "Y-you…!"

"Then again," Natsume's voice sauntered dully, "you would probably only be getting a percentage should I ever decide to take over my father's business at all. I suppose that's why you didn't mind accompanying me for today's interview so that I could more easily be persuaded for your own benefit."

Suddenly, a hand reached out to grab Natsume roughly by the collar.

"You… arrogant, bastard brat!" Mr. Yamato's round face flared hotter than a red chili pepper. Smoke was nearly fuming out of his ears as he tugged at Natsume's collar so that their gazes were leveled. "Don't get too cocky. You're nothing but a worthless, spoiled, conceited ass that goes around womanizing and drinking because his own father thinks of him as little shit. You're just trash! And just because your father is over me doesn't mean that I can't─"

"You should watch your tongue, Yamato-san," Natsume interjected coolly. A certain spark flickered within his red orbs as he said, "If I were to take over the Hyuuga Corps in the future, which is still highly likely, then your whole life's career might just 'slip' one day underneath my hand."

"Are you threating me, brat?"

Natsume snorted. "Take it how you will," he drawled, prying the grimy hand away from his collar. "All I know is that the next time you decide to grab me again…" His red eyes darkened with murderous vigor as his tall frame towered over the old man like a colossal giant. "You better be prepared for what's to come. I have a very low tolerance for idiots, especially for those who think that they know every fucking thing about my personal 'relationship' with my so called father. Old goons like you really do love lowering the standards of others, just so that you can crawl around like the cowering snakes that you are for the top."

The malignant aura sent a shiver down the old man's spine.

Fear overtook Mr. Yamato as he unconsciously gulped, shuddered, and subdued by taking three cautious steps back.

Natsume sighed tiredly while smoothing out the wrinkles to his tux. "Then again…I'm not one to do harm to an old man who doesn't know his place. So, I guess I'll let you off the hook, but just this once."

Mr. Yamato didn't dare to say another word. Fists clenched tight, his eyes shifted away to the floor in defeat.

Well, that didn't take much to shut the old croon's mouth.

A satisfied grin thinned at Natsume's lips as he turned his back to leave and waved over his shoulder, "Make sure to have a great day, Yamato-san."

* * *

_**Drip. Drip. Drip. **_

Small drops of water dripping from a faucet pattered aloud.

Natsume stood over the sink in front of the bathroom mirror in forlorn. His raven hair was spilt over his face, sweat was trickling from his neck, and he panted heavily as if a fire was burning within.

He curled and released his hands. His jaw clenched tight.

This was just fucking great.

All because of a stupid interview and because of what a stupid old fool had said, his bad habits of anxiety were starting to come on again.

Natsume inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly; he did anything to help relieve his stress. His eyes shut tight and a flood of bitter memories flashed throughout the back of his mind. It was as if a storm of unrelenting waves continued to crash over him.

Teeth grinding together, he cursed to himself for being so weak.

After a share of intolerable pain from the days of his pre-teen years, he truly believed that he had learned to control the antsy tensions of his nerves.

Yet in the end… it appeared that escaping his dark days would be a lot harder than he thought.

He lowered his head against the cool glass of the bathroom mirror. "Damn it all…"

"Hey there, Mr. Big shot."

Natsume snapped his head up and turned to find a familiar blonde leaning against the bathroom door. "Ruka," he sighed out, placing a hand over his face. "When did you get here?"

Ruka pocketed both hands into his jeans as he shifted away from the door. He shrugged boringly, "Actually, I've been here for a while. You didn't think that I would miss my best friend's big important interview, did you?"

He shot a friendly smile but the jubilance fleeted immediately once taking notice of the Hyuuga heir. His best friend looked worn and frustratingly spent.

"Are you… okay?"

Natsume closed his eyes then slowly opened them in silence. "I'm fine," he muttered lowly.

He was lying; Ruka could see that easily enough. The blonde came to stand by his friend's side and looked down at the floor as if in deep thought.

"I heard the questions being asked," he said, finally breaking the quietness. "They all hit a little too close to home, huh?"

Natsume snorted. "Those idiots… They don't give a damn about how you feel if it means getting answers that they want. It's all so stupid."

Ruka lifted his gaze as he studied his best friend in worry. He smiled wistfully. "I'm sorry that the interview didn't fly so smoothly. But you did a pretty good job taking everything in, even if you didn't want to be there."

A small grin tugged at Natsume's lips. "This world is always revolved around making money, gaining power, and sneaking behind others to do the same process all over again. No one cares about what matters have to be taken to climb to the top." He laughed humorlessly. "Everything… it's all a load of bull. Living might as well be considered a load of bull, too."

"Don't say things like that, Natsume," Ruka pleaded. "You know that's not true. Maybe it is for the people that you were practically forced to grow up around as a child, but you can't say that life is really like that. Or at least…_I'm_ not like that."

Natsume turned to look at his friend, and was about to speak before cringing at a pair of blue eyes that sparkled with encouragement.

One of his brows slightly twitched. "Stop looking at me like that… It's creeping me out."

The begrudging comment only made Ruka laugh. He patted his best friend upon the shoulder. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something… What exactly do you plan on doing with your life in the future?" Natsume grimaced at the unwanted question as Ruka smiled and continued, "I mean, you're at that age where you should start thinking about your goals and other important things that… probably don't go with your 'to hell with it,' persona. But if you don't plan on taking over your father's business, then what will happen to you next?"

"Ruka, do you have to bring this up now?" Natsume sighed out.

"I'm just concerned, Natsume, that's all. I'll be going off to college soon, and then we probably won't be able to see much of each other like we can now," Ruka's voice was still compromising. "When that happens, I'm… I'm afraid that you'll probably turn emo or something, and─"

"What the hell? Ruka, why would─"

"I was just joking about that part," Ruka laughed and winced after being given a good punch to the arm. "But seriously, dude… I really worry about you. With the way your father's health is going along with your rocky relationship with him, I don't even know what future awaits you." His humor subsided as his blue eyes softened into an elegiac expression. "Natsume, you… You should try to make up with your father and walk over the past."

Such petty words of encouragement were nothing more than fool's gold to Natsume's ears.

"Make up with my old man, huh?" he hushed out in a low whisper, brows slightly knitted together. Closing his eyes with a weak smile, he slowly opened them as he turned to look at the blonde fully. "Ruka, as my best friend, you… You should know that I'm not the type to just 'make up' with anyone, let alone someone who made my life a living hell."

Before Ruka could speak, he was soon cut off as he witnessed Natsume casually slide back the sleeve to his arm in silence. He released a gasp, stunned at the sight of tarnished skin.

Natsume held up the old scar of his arm as if it were given evidence. "Why don't I try showing him this, and let him make up with me instead? Do you think that will work?"

The painful affliction hinted in those words made Ruka's heart contract. He sighed, shaking his head and partly wished that he hadn't brought up such a touchy subject.

Unlike his best friend who was forced to grow up in a world of darkness, he was fortunate enough to have a loving mother and father who provided undying support. He wasn't heavily burdened with high expectations and didn't know the fear of being afraid of a man who…

Ruka sighed again. "…Natsume─"

"I'm heading out," Natsume finished quickly. He spared one last look at himself in the bathroom mirror, situated the tie to his tux, and slid past his best friend as he playfully rustled his blonde head of hair. "Thanks for coming. I'll see you around."

"H-hey, where are you going?" Ruka blinked back aloof. He adjusted his blonde bangs and quickly stopped his best friend by the shoulder. "You don't want to grab a bite to eat together or something before you just decide to go off alone?"

Natsume chewed on his tongue for a moment. "I have another place in mind," he replied nonchalant, looking off to the side. "And I'd rather go there by myself."

Ruka blinked back again at the odd answer. He could only stare back in bemusement as his best friend committed his bad habit of trailing away without a word.

After finally putting two and two together he shook his head, laughing a little to himself.

Amusement played upon his lips as he snorted, "By yourself, huh?"

**.**

"_To answer every single one of you sniveling pests who keep crawling around my private life for facts, I'll say this clean and clear. I have no desire whatsoever to take over my father's business…"_

Every dripping word of prestige from that one masculine voice was so… enthralling.

Mikan gazed back at the screen of the TV in admiration as a handsome raven haired man finished off his minor, cutthroat speech.

Biding out her spare time behind the bar, the little brunette was busy watching the latest celebrity interview of the young Hyuuga heir on a mini TV.

The sight of disheveled raven hair and ruby-red eyes was enough to hold her attention. As if the hot guy didn't look attractive enough, his listless, icy expression made him quite the catch for TV eye candy.

It was as if every one of his leadership qualities and traits came in a painted masterpiece. He just… He was just so much more than what words could describe.

Mikan nibbled on her bottom lip with her eyes still scrutinizing the handsome celeb on the screen. She never anticipated something like this to blow up in the media.

Who knew that the same perverted, egotistic jerk that she had encountered a few days ago happened to be a famous icon in the business world?

She smiled to herself. "He's… amazing."

"Hey! Hey, Miss! Over here!"

Interrupted from her thoughts, Mikan popped up from behind the counter to find a customer waving her over.

Once remembering her initial position as a hostess, she gasped and snatched up her checkbook with her heels trotting over to the appointed table.

She bowed respectfully towards her customer who responded with a sultry grin. Interestingly enough, the guy appeared to be in his early twenties, young, trendy, and Mikan had to admit that he was quite the catch.

She shook away the random thought and cleared her throat. "Sorry, about that, sir," she smiled apologetically. "What can I get you?"

"Nothing much," the handsome guest prompted boringly. He fingered with his reddish-brown bangs as his green eyes lusted upon the sight of slender legs. "I just wanted to get a good look at my waitress. It was hard staring at you from afar."

He watched amusedly as the brunette took two hesitant steps back and chuckled deeply.

"Don't worry. I'm not a creep or anything," he noted, sending a wink and a charming smile. "Anyway, let's get back to my order. I don't want anything special, just a nice cold one on the rocks."

Half-smiling, Mikan kept cordial while writing down the given order. "Alright, it should be out in a sec. Anything else?"

The young man scratched at the bridge of his nose, musing in thought as his green eyes studied the little brunette's figure. "I would suggest for your number, but… That's kind of pushing things, isn't it?"

He smirked at the end of his sentence and Mikan could swear that she was being undressed with the eyes from the bottom up. As much as she wanted to shift away, she simply laughed, "You're too kind, sir, really. But you know I'm kind of working right now. Anyway, thanks for the offer, um…"

"It's Reo," the young man swiftly finished. "Nice to meet you, Miss…?"

"Just call me, Mikan."

Reo reached out for her hand, using his thumb to trace light circles over her delicate skin. "I guess I'll be seeing more of you sometime, Mikan."

Alright, the guy was seriously trying to cross the line here.

Rather than freaking out, Mikan slowly pried her wrist away, still keeping her warm smile. "Okay, well your order should be delivered to you soon."

After giving one last bow to her customer, she faked another smile before walking off. Rolling her eyes, she headed back to behind the bar and continued with her daydreaming.

Thoughts of a certain raven haired man danced about her mind as she absentmindedly started doodling in her checkbook.

She didn't know what, but there was definitely something about the subtly cunning, Natsume Hyuuga that she just couldn't pick out.

Upon her first encounter with the handsome pessimist, she knew that he had this special aura that automatically drew her to him. Though the jerk came off ignorantly conceited, she admired his brazen confidence… especially his voice.

Oh, that voice… She loved how his dry tone always sounded like it was coated in a dark, rich, seductive velvet ─ how it made her heart drop to the very pit of her stomach.

She loved the tempting aroma of his cologne that smelt of cinnamon and wood. She loved the way his lips curved into a boyish grin as if teasing her. She loved how his dark pools of red glazed brilliantly as if casting some enchanting spell.

She loved…

Mikan laughed a little to herself once realizing how inane her internal thoughts were.

This was silly of her. She barely even knew the guy and yet here she was at work, daydreaming about his undeniable hotness and beautiful red eyes.

She buried her head on the counter of the bar and sighed. "Get it together, Mikan…"

"You're not going to get much of a paycheck if you keep standing there like you're on break."

After flinching at what felt like a checkbook being whacked upside her head, Mikan snapped up to find her best friend whose violet eyes appeared to be rather displeased.

She smiled weakly. "Sorry about that, Hotaru. I guess I was just kind of dazing off there for a while."

Hotaru snorted and gave a light flick to the brunette's nose. "For a while?" she repeated dubiously. "You've been prancing around this place with that stupid smile and those sparkling eyes ever since you clocked in."

She studied her airheaded best friend closely, taking notice of the tint of pink now etching upon her cheeks and how she nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

"You were thinking about Natsume."

"N-no I wasn't."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "Mikan… You've got a thing for him don't you?"

"W-what?" the brunette squeaked out. She so wasn't ready for that one. "That is s-so n-not…. Hotaru, I just met the guy, there's no way─"

"I knew it," Hotaru didn't even bother hearing out the rest. She shook her head and found a comfortable spot while leaning against the bar counter. "It was so obvious when I saw you guys talking at the bar. You've grown fond of him. My always airheaded best friend has a thing for bad boys."

"Oh come on, it's not like that. And what's with the 'bad boy' thing, anyway? I know better than to fall for something like that."

And yet the evident tint of scarlet still painted upon the brunette's complexion made Hotaru think otherwise. "That right?" she asked, grinning at the end of her sentence. "Can you really stand there and lie to me like that, Mikan, when you actually claimed that he looked like a model from out of a catalog?"

The brunette glowered. "Hotaru… how long are you going to keep bringing that up?"

"Until I get tired of it," her best friend shrugged off. "Face it, Mikan. You've practically fallen for that arrogant idiot and his charms."

Mikan rolled her eyes. She decides to compare a hot guy to a model just once and then the next, she's getting made fun of about it.

Okay, so… maybe she thought that he looked like a model when they first met, but seriously, it wasn't like she was groveling at the guy's feet or anything.

"I have not. There's no way that I could possibly fall for such a conceited jerk like him." The brunette folded both arms over her chest in a cross-like manner. "I'll admit that I enjoy making him feel annoyed, but that's only because he acts so impudent. He has a sharp tongue, doesn't like speaking much, and not to mention that he made fun of me wearing a polka-dotted bra."

Hotaru sneered. "It sounds like you like him, already. Still, I don't think that would be a wise decision even for an idiot like you."

"I _don't _have feelings for Natsume Hyuuga, Hotaru," Mikan underlined firmly for the umpteenth time. "How could I? He's moody, pompous, arrogant, shrewd, and doesn't know how to make a girl feel comfortable around him at all. That cocky jerk is… H-he's a─"

"I'm a what?"

That rugged voice…

In less than one second, Mikan gasped, blinked twice, and whirled her head around in shock to find a familiarly handsome face standing before her.

"Natsume…!" she stuttered out.

Then suddenly, her hazel orbs widened with a faint gasp as she studied a seductively, tempting sight. She swallowed slowly.

The guy was… sexy as hell.

Versus his casual attire that usually came with a chic leather jacket and muscle-tee, today he was sporting a crisp, black tuxedo.

Although his raven tresses spilt over his face in an unkempt manner, he actually pulled off the professional appearance as a hot executive agent. His red eyes glistened with a tantalizing pop, and Mikan couldn't help but marvel at how well the tux outlined his toned chest and perfectly broad shoulders.

Once noticing the brunette's long attentive gaze, Natsume raised a curious brow as her eyes shifted away uncomfortably to the floor.

He witnessed a blush redden at her cheeks and fought back a grin. _This little girl is still as interesting as ever…_

"Well, speak of the devil."

As if his nose caught whiff of a repugnant order, Natsume stiffened, and unwillingly peeled his eyes over to a pair of violet orbs.

Smiling ever so innocently, Hotaru placed both hands upon her hips and asked, "What is it, Hyuuga? Did you finally decide to become a regular here?"

Natsume responded with a vainglorious smirk. "Don't get the wrong idea, Imai. I came here for a cold beer that sure as hell doesn't involve you as my waitress." His eyes flashed over back to the brunette as he pointed authoritatively, "I want that one right there."

Mikan could feel her body stiffen on edge. Whoa… this guy had a lot of guts when it came to being demanding.

"You hear that, Mikan?" Hotaru asked her, giving a nudge to her arm. "The spoiled brat wants you. Are you in?"

"A-ah… I…" Obviously, she was still trying to grasp the current situation.

One look at her best friend was enough for Hotaru. "I'll take that as a yes," she sighed, rolling her eyes. After sparing one last look of distaste at the Hyuuga heir, she decided to make her own exit towards the floor of tables.

In the end, the raven haired bachelor and a timid little brunette were left all alone.

The two stared back at each other in silence, one doing her best to calm her now pounding heart as the other studied her antsy fidgeting with his usual, heavily guarded expression.

Breaking the quietness with a click of his tongue, Natsume made himself comfortable as he found a seat at the bar.

"So, let's get back to the topic of subject," his monotone voice started. He pretended to muse in thought as his fingers tapped at the counter. "Let's see, I believe that you left off at… arrogant, moody, pompous, and oh yeah, shrewd." His red eyes flickered back to the brunette in amusement. "Anything else you want to finish off?"

Mikan gulped through a dry throat. Oh, hell… exactly how much did the guy actually hear? "I-I didn't mean it like that," she waved her hand dismissively and tried to force a smile. "Though most of what I said is kind of true, b-but it wasn't intentional."

Natsume simply stared at her. With a snap of his fingers, he grunted out, "Whatever, just hurry up and get me my beer."

"Is that any way to ask someone to get you things?" Mikan challenged, still somehow managing a smile. "You should at least put a please in that sentence."

Monochromatic words replied, "Do you want a good tip or not? Your choice."

Mikan opened her mouth for a sharp rebuttal, but instead, held her tongue with pouted cheeks. It was as if a staring contest commenced between her and the raven haired fiend, both seeing who would be the first to break.

Giving up with a roll of her eyes, Mikan trudged her way over to the cooler and grabbed an ice-cold bottle of beer, subtly muttering incoherent swears under her breath.

As she stamped her heels back over to the counter, she conjured up a load of snide retorts, and was ready to go to war with her rude client… but something caused her to cease.

A deep thorn of vexation appeared to be eating at her handsome guest.

Brows fervently creased together, he ran a hand through his hair in frustration with a disgruntled sigh. She could even see that there were bags underneath his eyes, apparent that the poor guy didn't get much sleep for a laid-back Sunday.

Her heart contracted in guilt. _It must be because of that interview from today…_

Forgetting her bitter tension, the brunette smiled as she approached the counter. "Here you go, oh Reigning Supreme customer," she cheerily announced while sliding the bottle over to him, "A nice cold beer for you on the house."

Natsume snorted and was just about to give a sarcastic reply before arching a brow. He tapped at his beer bottle. "Wait… You mean it's free?"

With a simple shrug of her shoulders, Mikan smiled, "I thought it's the least that I could do seeing as how you didn't seem like you had a good day."

"…What the hell are you─?"

"I'm referring to your interview," Mikan interjected and casually added, "I saw it on TV, today. You… didn't look too happy with the questions that the media was throwing at you. I figured that you're the type who would rather drink away his frustrations rather than dwelling on them. Am I right?"

"Hn…" was Natsume's only grumbled response.

He had to look cool and smooth after hearing something like that. So, the little girl actually saw him on TV, today? What did she think of him when she was watching him speak? Did she like it? Did she like…

"Wait a minute… What made you want to watch that stupid interview, anyway?" Natsume suddenly asked.

Mikan's face reddened at the question. "H-huh? Oh that, I was just… Well, I mean, I was on break during the time that I was watching TV, and your face just so happened to appear, and so… And so I…"

"Forget it," Natsume's voice was reticent. He chugged down another drink of beer and exhaled a sigh. "I don't care what your reasons were."

"O-oh…" Mikan trailed off, biting her lip. She drummed her fingers over the counter before clearing her throat to change the subject. "So, uh… what are you doing here at this time and hour, Natsume? I figured you would probably want to come in around during the night shifts when it's crazy."

Natsume looked off to the side with a shrug. "Like you said earlier, I needed to drink away my frustrations. I enjoyed the beer the last time that I was here, so what the hell." His red eyes trailed back over to find a teasing grin. "What are you smiling about?"

Mikan found it rather hard to hide her jubilant smirk. She leaned over the counter on both elbows while placing her knuckles underneath her chin. "I knew you would come back," she said, earning a curious brow from Natsume. "Remember when I asked if you would ever come back to see me? Well, you came after all. I just knew it. You actually kept your promise."

Her annoying ray of sunshine made Natsume want to gag.

One of his brows twitched as he tepidly drawled, "The hell do you mean, I kept my promise? First of all, I didn't promise you anything and secondly…" He paused slightly after receiving a wry grin and shifted his gaze away with a grunt of breath. "Secondly, I didn't come here to see you. I wanted a good beer to clear my head, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, it's fine," Mikan waved off the evident lie. "It doesn't matter, anyway." She folded both arms neatly behind her back as a radiant smile played upon her lips. "Because you're here now, and that's all that counts, right?"

She wanted to bust out laughing after watching heat creep up to the man's neck. He was always so cute when he tried to come off uptight.

"You still talk too much, idiot."

…Or maybe not.

"And you still have a bad attitude," the brunette growled lowly.

Seriously, why couldn't the guy ever play the nice cards role for once?

Dispassionate as ever, Natsume gave an impassive shrug of his shoulders while enjoying the crisp taste of his cold beer.

In truth, he was doing all that he could to restrain from showing a smile. The sight of pouting cheeks and a scowl was priceless.

"But I think… I think that's what I like about you most."

Natsume's lips ceased at the rim of his beer bottle after hearing that one sentence. Coming off as incurious, he turned to look at the brunette who was smiling to herself in thought.

Mikan fingered with her chestnut strands while mumbling her subconscious rants. "I think that your collectively cool persona is what made me find you interesting. Maybe that's what people mean when they say that opposites attract, huh?" She gasped after realizing what she had just said and blushed. "Er… Um… forget that I even said that, I…"

A pair of red eyes scrutinized her in silence. "It doesn't matter," Natsume deadpanned. "This is what happens when women fall for me. All it takes is the flaunting of money, my looks, and my 'bad attitude' before they're sold. "

"Sold for what?" Mikan asked, cocking her head to the side.

Choking back on his next sip of beer, Natsume restrained a laugh. He used a hand to cup the side of his face, and stared back with the utmost amusement.

"You really want to know?" his voice rasped. The brunette nodded shyly. He smirked and beckoned her close, "Come here."

Mikan gulped, biting her lip as she hesitantly complied with the given order.

Dissatisfied with the lack of proximity, Natsume snorted with a roll of his eyes and reached out a hand to pull her closer towards him. Lips curving into a sly grin, he neared in and hotly whispered something secretive into her ear.

It only took one vulgar word and the sight of Natsume's tongue licking his lips in temptation for Mikan's eyes to widen.

She practically shrieked as she pushed away from the pervert with blushing cheeks. "Ew! Gross! T-that is so…!"

Resuming to drinking his beer, Natsume leaned back in his seat and shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to know," he noted apathetically.

"But you didn't have to tell me that much," Mikan defended. She shuddered while avidly rubbing her shoulders. "You could've just spared me the major details or _something._ Seriously, I cannot believe that perverts like you are allowed to walk the streets of Tokyo."

_This girl couldn't even survive two days alone in the streets_, Natsume thought inwardly.

He stared blankly in disbelief at the dunce airhead for a hostess. "You're still just as naïve as ever, little girl," he droned. After taking one final swig from his beer, he grunted out a sigh and stood up. "Well, as much as I would love hanging around to freak you out with educational sex talk, I'm going to head on out."

He reached in his pocket only to pull out a very _generous_ tip before placing it upon the counter. Mikan's jaw dropped low at the incredulous amount.

She blinked twice and slid the money over to him. "Wait a minute, what are you doing? I said that it's on the house. You don't have to─"

"I'm making _this_ on the house," Natsume said neutrally, sliding the money back to her. "So, take it."

Mikan sighed in defeat. "Well, this is new," she mumbled and wrinkled her nose as she stared back at her stubborn customer. "B-but I hope you're not expecting something 'interesting' in return, Natsume Hyuuga."

Natsume snorted in mockery. "Don't worry about that." He grinned coyly. "I don't see anything 'interesting' that I could have, anyway."

Okay, after hearing that, Mikan swore that World War III was literally about to commence right then and there. Her mouth opened to speak, until suddenly…

"Then again… you really are interesting, Mikan Sakura."

Once hearing her name stem off from that velvety coated voice, Mikan felt a tingling sensation shoot throughout her body.

_Did he just…?_

As if the enchanting tone wasn't enough to have her melt, she felt her knees almost give in as he reached out to tuck the few loose, chestnut strands behind her ear.

Mikan stood frozen still, memorized as the erotic scent of cinnamon and wood suddenly whipped throughout the air.

"Your hair looks good when it's down."

That one unexpected compliment sent a creeping blush to the brunette's cheeks. Then next, she watched at what she could swear to be amusement flicker within deep pools of red. This guy…

Her heart now pounding rapidly against her chest, she could only watch in a silent stupor as the seductively charming, raven haired guest finally turned to leave.

It took one small gasp and three blinks before she was finally able to come back to realization.

After learning how to breathe again, she released all the tension from her shoulders and gave a light pat to both her cheeks.

Damn that sly fox, Natsume Hyuuga. Clearly, he was no rookie to the game of playing around with a woman's feelings. Mikan closed her eyes, smiling somberly to herself in thought.

It was unfair, really. He always had a way with cold words that left her speechless and yet… left her strangely attracted to him all in one.

"I think… I've fallen for him."

**.**

*Sings in Opera voice* I've finally gotten time to update.

I apologize greatly for the long update. Honestly, school has been one son of a gun when it comes to writing. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm currently working on more updates, and I really, _really_ do appreciate your patience more than you know. :))

As always, thank you so very much for reading! Stay Blessed~


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